Idaho Matters

Our region has a large number of Mexican immigrants – and many have been unable to see their relatives for years. Now the Mexican state of Tlaxcala is opening an office here to help reunite families across borders. The program is part of a larger initiative from the state, located east of Mexico City, to provide resources to Mexican nationals living in the United States. The agency does this in pa...

(Jamon Anderson, KISU FM.) Idaho Matters is branching further out into Eastern Idaho as we debut the show on KISU FM . KISU broadcasts out of Idaho State University and reaches Pocatello, Chubbuck, American Falls and Blackfoot and has translators in Idaho Falls and Rexburg, which reaches places like Shelley and Island Park. Their audience keeps growing, with almost 230,000 residents in their liste...

Bryan Kohberger, right, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, is led away following a hearing in Latah County District Court, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool) (Ted S. Warren / AP) University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger gets first court date , the Idaho Supreme Court upholds the state abortion ban , we dig i...

(Matt Guilhem / Boise State Public Radio) Thursday morning, the Idaho Press Club hosted its legislative preview with Gov. Brad Little and a panel of lawmakers, who took questions on the record about their priorities for the 2023 Idaho Legislative Session. Boise State Public Radio News Reporter James Dawson has been watching the action all morning and joins Idaho Matters for more on what to expect...

( Corpus Christi House) For many of us home is a place of reprieve, the place we go to eat, shower and sleep. For those experiencing homelessness though, not having a permanent address can make taking care of these basic needs difficult. Especially when many shelters are only open from 5:00 pm to 8:00 am, leaving many people without shelter during the day. That's where organizations like Corpus Ch...

202 was a bad year for the Colorado River. The long drought in the southwest grew worse, and demand for the river’s water continued to outstrip supply. States are scrambling to find some compromise and cut back on demand before 2026, when the current guidelines for the river expire, but climate change is only making that job harder, shrinking supplies with no end in sight. KUNC’s Alex Hager report...

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho) Along with COVID-19, RSV, and the flu, the Centers for Disease Control is now worried about an outbreak of strep throat. Meanwhile, Ohio is dealing with an outbreak of measles and some are concerned that there may be a new mystery illness out there. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to break this all down.

(Courtesy National Park Service ) Near the end of 2022, the National Park Service purchased 105 acres of land neighboring the City of Rocks National Reserve . The area is home to much natural beauty, including granite outcrops of Train Rock, portions of Graham Creek, aspen groves and moose habitat. Tara McClure-Cannon, Acting Superintendent for City of Rocks National Reserve joined Idaho Matters t...

When the pandemic started, many items flew off the shelves – including toys. Now, years later, toy stores are still seeing their sales grow, and consumer bases expand. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports.

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) On Friday, police in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the murder of four University of Idaho students. Bryan Kohberger is a student at Washington State University, which sits around eight miles away from the U of I in Moscow. Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and Blogger with Idaho Education News, has been following the story closely and he joined Idaho Mat...

(Thomas Hawk / Flickr) The Idaho Legislature starts next week and the topic of school vouchers will likely take up a large chunk of time and effort. For many people on both sides of the school choice debate, "voucher" can be a dirty word, which can carry negative assumptions along with it. Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and Blogger with Idaho Education News wrote an article about " the v-word ," a...

( Boise School District) Here in Idaho and around the country, students are struggling with their mental health and schools are in short supply of professionals that are equipped to handle their needs. That's why resources like The Student and Family Assistance Program are so important. Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about the program are Idaho's Central District Health Program Manager, Rebecc...

(Steve Schroeder / Flickr) When we think about water conservation we don’t often think about schools, but that's exactly where one charity organization is focusing. Smart Rain for Smart Kids is a program committed to saving water and here in Idaho, the Nampa School District has partnered with them to help in that conservation. The Director of Operations for the Nampa School District joined Idaho M...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9372697@N06/">blawton44</a> / Flickr) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on December 23, 2022. Idaho Matters is looking back at the big stories from 2022 in Idaho politics, culture, education and more. Our panelists: Melissa Davlin, host of Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho...

It’s been 5 years since a gunman killed 60 people and injured hundreds more at a Las Vegas music festival. what does life look like now, for the people affected by the shootings? We wanted to share the experiences of survivors, first responders and those who lost someone. KNPR's Senior Producer Kristen Kidman reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

It’s been some 80 years since thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to live in internment camps in places like Minidoka, Idaho. Now the National Park Service is developing plans to restore one of those sites. Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau reports on the plan in the series, “Saving Amache.”

The writing on the Mano de Irulegi was not immediately apparent when it came out of the ground and only revealed itself to researchers after they (Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi / www.aranzadi.eus) The Basque language is a non-Indo European language in Western Europe, spoken by people living in the mountains between France and Spain. The isolated language has puzzled scholars for centuries. For man...

(Alex Proimos / Flickr) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 23, 2022. Each Wednesday we bring you the Doctors Roundtable, where we answer your questions about COVID-19. But since it’s almost the end of 2022, we wanted to take a look back at the last year of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coro...

Michael Runsvold, founder and head baker of Acme Bakeshop, dusts loaves of bread with flour before they're baked. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) As we approach the end of the year, the days are short and the nights seem to last forever. The team at Boise State Public Radio is leaning into the darkness to share stories that take place at nighttime and that bring you to spaces that are bu...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9372697@N06/">blawton44</a> / Flickr) Idaho Matters is looking back at the big stories from 2022 in Idaho politics, culture, education and more. Our panelists: Melissa Davlin, host of Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News Clark Corbin with the Idaho Capital Sun James Dawson with  Bo...

(Lure Design for NPR) As we wrap up the year, we wanted to reflect on some of the music that made 2022 great. To help us out, we asked Carl Scheider to join us. He’s the long-running host of the music show Private Idaho which airs each Saturday at 10 a.m. on our sister station KBSU.

(CSA Images/Printstock Collection / Getty Images) During the holidays, Secret Santas are everywhere. But over in East Idaho, one particular Secret Santa has been serving up some extra holiday cheer to some very deserving folks. Nate Eaton with Eastidahonews.com is one of Santa's helpers and joins Idaho Matters to share some of these people's wonderful stories.

As 2022 comes to a close, Idaho Matters wanted to look back at some of the films and television that inspired and entertained us. Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice joined us to share some of his favorites.

A doctor listens to a child's breathing. (B Busco / Getty Images) As a "tripledemic" of respiratory illnesses takes hold, some pharmacies here in the United States are placing limits on the number of over-the-counter medicines customers can purchase to help with their symptoms, in particular children’s pain relief medication. Spikes in cases of Flu, RSV and COVID-19 led to a 65% increase in the sa...

We’ve gotten a lot of snow lately in the mountains of Idaho and it got really cold really fast this year. People who live in the Wood River Valley have been adapting to all the snow and having some great winter fun, but for the animals the sudden, early, winter weather caught them off guard and they need your help. Blaine County, Bellevue, Hailey and the Bureau of Land Management are teaming up to...